Kenai Peninsula

The day after Labor Day rental car prices go down drastically so we grabbed the opportunity and headed down to the Kenai for several days. Keeping in tune with weather typical for this summer we set out in a pouring rain with gusty winds. First stop, Seward. The ranger at the Kenai Fjords National Park office in town told us that if we wanted to see Exit Glacier we should go that afternoon as they might close the road due to flooding the next day. (that didn't happen) There is a short 1-mile walk to a wall of blue ice at the edge of the glacier. Exit glacier today is 2 miles in length, but signs for several miles along the highway going into the trailhead show where the glacier used to be since the mid-1800s. My guess is that if you want to see Exit, get here soon!

The colors of the glacier actually show up better on a cloudy day.

After walking around town a bit we headed to shelter from the continuing rain - Snow River Hostel.

The community kitchen was full of antiques including this 8 burner wood stove.

Back to Seward the next day for the perfect rainy day activity, a visit to the Alaska Sea Life Center. The aquariums here are wonderful. It was especially fun watching the sea lions and harbor seals.

tufted puffins

an impressive octopus

Still raining, we headed toward Homer via a short stop at the village of Kenai to see a Russian Orthodox church that also served as the first school on the peninsula and has been continually used for 150 years. The inside is gorgeous according to pictures, but it was locked up tight today.

Camped out in Ninilchik at a nice campground that had a covered pavilion where we pitched the tent and had a dry night. Then on to Homer. Here's proof that even bad weather provides some awesome settings.

After a stop at the Islands and Ocean Visitor Center and a short walk on the Beluga Trail, we drove out on the spit. Halibut fishing is huge here and these kids were thrilled with their 15 pound catch, a little under average weight. The current record weight is 459 pounds!

Homer harbor

Everyone stops at the Salty Dog; the inside is wall to wall full of dollar bills.

It's fall and it's chilly, but some flowers are still hanging on.

The sun finally came out and we found the Seaside Hostel with camping on a beautiful grassy meadow with views out to Kachemak Bay and a glacier.

This was another place full of character. There was a house that was the hostel (not as enticing to stay in as the first) and the meadow for tents. Campers had use of a shelter with a small stove and sink, an assortment of couches, and these antiques.

Facilities were decorative

and the view, which included sandhill cranes, got better...

and better...

and better.

The next morning we went back up the Seward Highway to Bertha Creek Campground via a stop at Hope and Resurrection Creek. This is gold country and we took our pans and a borrowed sluice box to Bertha Creek. Our find was 4 flecks of gold, 1 of silver and a fun day outside without rain.

In a light morning rain, we headed back up Turnagain Arm and the Nature Center to dry out.

It was a beautiful sunny day there and the late afternoon saw us out on the viewing deck looking at brown bear fish in the distance, too distant for pictures, and one last salmon in the stream.